Pneumonias
in [Sleep Disorder]
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From: Richard Reynolds on 8 May 2006 23:42 I have a "moderate" case of sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine successfully for about four years now. Last spring, I came down with viral pneumonia. This spring, I have developed viral pneumonia again but in a different lobe. I once heard a RN state that she would never use a CPAP machine because she knew of several persons who had developed pneumonias, ostensibly due to not cleaning and disinfecting the water reservoir and hoses regularly. I do not know if this is possible. Has anyone heard of patients developing pneumonia because of poor cleaning procedures. Richard
From: normc on 9 May 2006 01:50 Richard Reynolds wrote: > I have a "moderate" case of sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine > successfully for about four years now. > > Last spring, I came down with viral pneumonia. This spring, I have developed > viral pneumonia again but in a different lobe. > > I once heard a RN state that she would never use a CPAP machine because she > knew of several persons who had developed pneumonias, ostensibly due to not > cleaning and disinfecting the water reservoir and hoses regularly. I do not > know if this is possible. > > Has anyone heard of patients developing pneumonia because of poor cleaning > procedures. > > Richard > > I've been reading here, and elsewhere on the web, for over 5 years. Never heard of anyone getting pneumonia or, for that matter, any kind of respiratory infection. There have been others who have posted here, indicating that they heard ......... but no back up whatsoever. Quite the contrary, there have been links posted (3-5 years ago) indicating studies that have been done and medical/scientific explanations as to why you can't... and won't. The air you breathe is cleaner than the air you breathe the other 16 or so hours when you are awake. The disstilled water contains no minerals or thingies. If you GOOGLE the archives of this NG you will learn that many of us think that routinely cleaning our mask or hose or chamber is a complete waste of time. Notice that I say, routinely. Who can say under what set of specific, individual circumstances a cpap system may need to be cleaned. For example, some people drool a lot. I, personally, have been healhier since I started using cpap. If you continue to have doubts, I would suggest that you see a pulmonologist who is certified in sleep medicine. And I would look for other sources of the virus. HTH
From: rjfalvey on 9 May 2006 02:27 I mentioned your pneumonia problem to my CPAP man, he said it would only occur if you didn't keep the water chamber of your humidifier clean. We are supposed to empty the water out every day and rinsing with some vinegar and water once a week. I use the Resmed Nasal Pillow system mask and I'm told to wash the nose piece every day. I'd say leaving a water chamber to sit during the day, half full, may be asking for problems such as fungus and mildew growing in the chamer, which can't be good for the lungs. >I have a "moderate" case of sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine >successfully for about four years now. > > Last spring, I came down with viral pneumonia. This spring, I have > developed viral pneumonia again but in a different lobe. > > I once heard a RN state that she would never use a CPAP machine because > she knew of several persons who had developed pneumonias, ostensibly due > to not cleaning and disinfecting the water reservoir and hoses regularly. > I do not know if this is possible. > > Has anyone heard of patients developing pneumonia because of poor cleaning > procedures. > > Richard >
From: normc on 9 May 2006 06:03 rjfalvey wrote: > I mentioned your pneumonia problem to my CPAP man, he said it would only > occur if you didn't keep the water chamber of your humidifier clean. We are > supposed to empty the water out every day and rinsing with some vinegar and > water once a week. I haven't emptied my chamber, or cleaned it, for over 4 years. Nothing has grown in, or around, it. I had been pulling the hose/tube off of the chamber, every morning, because they were always opaque, it was so easy to do, and that was where there was moisture. Respironic's latest hose/tube is clear, so I may stop pulling if off. My chambers are clean as a whistle, and my health has been better than before cpap. I am only a sample of one; however, if you GOOGLE the archives you will find many others who don't routinely clean their system. You will also find links to technical/scientific explanations about why it is not a problem. > I use the Resmed Nasal Pillow system mask and I'm told to > wash the nose piece every day. I'll have to admit, if I was using pillows, I would be more inclined to wash them than my masks, either nasal or full face. After all, that seems to be a directly reasonable thing to do. I wash my face every time before putting on my mask. > I'd say leaving a water chamber to sit during > the day, half full, may be asking for problems such as fungus and mildew > growing in the chamer, which can't be good for the lungs. Just any old water, maybe; but not distilled water. > > >>I have a "moderate" case of sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine >>successfully for about four years now. >> >>Last spring, I came down with viral pneumonia. This spring, I have >>developed viral pneumonia again but in a different lobe. >> >>I once heard a RN state that she would never use a CPAP machine because >>she knew of several persons who had developed pneumonias, ostensibly due >>to not cleaning and disinfecting the water reservoir and hoses regularly. >>I do not know if this is possible. >> >>Has anyone heard of patients developing pneumonia because of poor cleaning >>procedures. >> >>Richard >> > > >
From: rjfalvey on 9 May 2006 08:08
normc wrote > > I haven't emptied my chamber, or cleaned it, for over 4 years. Nothing > has grown in, or around, it. I had been pulling the hose/tube off of the > chamber, every morning, because they were always opaque, it was so easy to > do, and that was where there was moisture. Respironic's latest hose/tube > is clear, so I may stop pulling if off. > > My chambers are clean as a whistle, and my health has been better than > before cpap. > > I am only a sample of one; however, if you GOOGLE the archives you will > find many others who don't routinely clean their system. You will also > find links to technical/scientific explanations about why it is not a > problem. > I have only been a CPAP user for one week , my CPAP dealer recommended I keep the water chamber, rinsed out everyday. I empty any left over water from the previous night, into an empty bottle, to be reused, rather than wasting it. Demineralized water can harbour bacteria, just as easy as other water. > > Just any old water, maybe; but not distilled water. Demineralized water can harbour bacteria, just as easy as other water. I'm not trying to sound like a scare monger, saying everybody will encounter pneumonia if they don't keep everything absolutely sparklingly clean, however, it's better to be safe than sorry. |